The first, was to gloss over the history of Zalthar that included the Eldar, for this Ancient Race had long known the true worth of Lorelei Crystal’s, and that meant more than just their value in Rad Bonds*
*The Local Space Sector currency and the most stable form of plastic-money on Zalthar and its neighbouring Planets. The Zaltharian Credit, Zalthar’s “Official Currency” is practically worthless due to the effects of numerous Wars on the economy.
The Eldar knew much about the Crystal’s Psy - amplification and dampening effects, properties known to very few, save Lord Inquisitor Samuel and a handful of Astro-Mineralogists’, and even Lord Samuel understands but a fraction of the what the Eldar knew an it is possible that much of this is lost now even to them. For the Eldar, the power of such Crystals made them a great prize, a prize with a power only the most worthy Seer’s were permitted to wield. It was also a power they were fearful others would abase, and so erected a secret Webwayportal to Zalthar, invested with a great and terrible power that saw the death of one of the Seer’s in it’s Enchantment. With the fall of the Eldar, much of their magic’s were undone, though some, such as the Webwayportal to Zalthar retain vestiges of their former powerful enchantment.
Had the surveyors done their work properly, the Portal would have been reported to the InquisitionsOrdo Xenos, who, though they did not fully understand the Webway, knew enough to have the thing dismantled.
As it was, it was probably the faint aura of the world beyond this place, where the barrier between the “materium” or real-space and the “imaterium” or the Warp was at it’s thinnest, that caught Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex’s attention in the first place, for though he could be an arrogant fool, he was an exceptionally gifted one. And because the Portal remained, the barrier between the materium and the imaterium was kept taught and dangerously thin. Therefore, all it took was a slight nudge, such as the arrival of Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex on Zalthar, which had an effect in the Daemon realm of the Warp, akin to blood in the water on Sharks, and so the strongest and fastest broke through to claim their due of Souls. That was of course, simply not going to happen if Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex had any say in the matter.
So thus, due a Surveyors “oversight”, Battle-Lines were drawn, lines that only Blood was going to wash away.The second was also an oversight by the Surveyors, of something that didn’t financially fit ! For quite early on, it was established that there were two distinct “Types” of Crystal on Zalthar, Lorelei Crystal’s and a quote:
“…. a Crystal of unknown type and or origin. Samples indicate the Crystal to be an inert type found on those Worlds listed in Appendix 4 of the Geological and Mineralogical Survey.
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Classified
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Crystals, inert type, cost of extraction from Crystal,
Lorelei type, estimate 4.7% of gross profit margin, disposal. 1.3%. Total cost incurred, 6% of gross profit.
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For some reason, no - one wanted that part reaching the official draft of the Mining Tender Documents, the Imperium clearly keen that a 3rd Party picked up those bills. So, not wishing to tempt fate, Imperial Agents ensured that ALL further Mineralogical studies of these “other” crystals be dropped, all except one. For there was one Mineralogist, a Professor Norman, who had the ear of someone with the Political muscle to afford him an exemption, provided the work remained Classified, This work revealed several properties of these Crystals that Professor Norman suggested gave cause for further evaluation. Two of these were the apparent Resilience to Weight ratio may have some value in terms of structural fabrication and second that they conducted electricity with no discernable resistance, making them very cheap super-conductor material. Unfortunately, when conducting “Field-Tests in one of Zalthar’s more remote Crystal Field’s, there is presumed to have been some type of “Accident” as neither the Professor Norman, nor seven of his field-crew were ever seen or heard of again. Only one poor wretch survived, and all he could manage to do was mutter things about the “Tin-Man” and a “Green or Emerald City”, being otherwise so thoroughly traumatised that he was sent back to Terra for further evaluation and treatment !
Our tale darkens considerably however, for in attempting to throw off their pursuers, after their defeat at the fanatical hands of Lord Inquisitor Hector-Rex, the surviving Dragon-kin sought a route through these same, remote Lorelei Crystal Field’s !
And so the stage was set for yet another high-noon on Zalthar, thanks to an another impressive Imperial disinformation exercise, proof positive if you’d live long enough to testify, that everything in the Empire has a price !
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